Everybody Deserves Somebody
by Ultrawoman
Summary: COMPLETE! At the end of the film Drive Me Crazy I realised there was one person who didn't have a date, who deserved one..... UPDATED : Chapter 8&9! (Please R&R)
1. The Centennial Dance

A/N : Drive Me Crazy is one of my favourite films but there was one thing that always annoys me about the end. Everybody who deserves to have somebody seems to have somebody (Chase and Nicole, Dave and Dee, Brad and Alicia, Mrs Maris and Mr Hammond) except for one guy. This story finds a girl for this one guy who deserves someone special. 

I'm not sure if this is going to work out but I'm going to try anyway and I'd be very happy to hear any comments about this first chapter, so if you read, please review.

(Disclaimer : I do not own any characters from 'Drive Me Crazy' They are owned by the makers of the film, and Todd Strasser, author of 'How I created My Perfect Prom Date' (the book on which the film Drive Me crazy was based). I own one character, called Jennifer Jacobs)

Chapter 1 - The Centennial Dance

She had watched the whole thing. She was glad Nicole and Chase were finally back together. Of course, she was happy for them, but she was happy for herself too as it gave her a chance to make her own dreams come true, but it still pained her to see the guy she loved so upset.

Jennifer Jacobs was in love with Ray Neeley. Unfortunately for Jenny, Ray had the biggest crush on Nicole Maris, and with her in the picture, there was no chance of Ray even looking at anyone else. In fairness, no-on really paid a whole lot of attention to Jenny anyway. She was just another school girl at Timothy Zonin High School. A normal, plain, regular girl with nothing special about her at all. Nicole had everything that Jenny wanted. She was smart, she was blonde, she was beautiful, she knew how to dress, basically she was the complete opposite of Jenny.

However, when Nicole started dating Chase, Jenny thought maybe she'd get her chance with Ray. She hoped that he might even ask her to the Centennial Dance but it was not to be. Ray was Nicole's back up and so when the news broke out in Time Zone High that Nicole and Chase had broken up, Jenny realised her hopes had been shattered. She was never going to get her dream date with her dream guy.

'Friends, popularity and love' she thought to herself as she gulped down her fourth glass of punch, which she was pretty sure was spiked with something, 'that's all I really want' she sighed, 'is that too much to ask'.

The dance should have been a lot of fun, but not for Jenny. The few friends she had, had managed to get dates amongst themselves and so were paying a lot of attention to each other and very little attention to her. No-one asked her to dance, no-one spoke to her, everyone was far too busy having a good time to notice Jennifer Jacobs.

Eight glasses of spiked punch later, Jenny stumbled out of the front doors of the high school and into the limo her brother had rented for himself, his sister and his date. Tim Jacobs, who was hardly any more popular than his older sister, asked her if she was okay, as the car began to move. His date, Stacey, a girl who was usually equally unnoticed and unwanted as Jenny, tried to smile sympathetically but Jenny just ignored her.

"I'm fine" she snapped, pressing her face against the glass of the limo door and dreaming of how the evening might have been if only Ray would've noticed her.

When the car pulled up outside the Jacob's house, Jenny fell out of the door and into the house. She practically crawled up the stairs to her bedroom, all this time thankful that her parents had gone away that afternoon and would not be back until Sunday night, and also that her brother was too pre-occupied with Stacey, to bother her anymore tonight.

Jenny collapsed onto her bed and sighed deeply. It was four in the morning, but she had decided, she had to do it and it had to be now. It had taken her the car ride home to make the decision, but now she was determined to do it. She picked up the phone and pulled out the phone directory. Her eyes almost refused to focus on the pages but Jenny blinked hard and after several minutes of trying to remember her alphabet, she managed to find the number she needed. She picked up the phone again and dialled.

"Hello?" said a voice on the other end.

"Hi, Nicole, this is Jenny"

Nicole tried to think of all the people she knew called Jenny. It was after four in the morning and she was just staring to feel sleepy after the nights events. Chase had turned up at the dance and they had ended up in their old tree house kissing, after coming home and finding out that her mother and his father were a couple. They didn't care. They were in love and now she had been sitting her bedroom, day-dreaming about what had happened and what was going to happen, almost unable to sleep with all the excitement that had taken place.

"Jenny?" Nicole questioned, unable to place the name, immediately.

"Jenny Jacobs" the girl told her.

"Oh, hi" Nicole suddenly realised who she was talking to. She remembered sitting near Jenny in a few classes and talking too her several times but they were not close friends and Nicole found it strange that this girl was calling her at this hour.

"What can I do for you?" she asked, curiously.

"I was wondering if you could help me with something..." Jenny began.

"Okay" Nicole answered non-commitally.

"Well, it's kind of hard to explain right now, on the phone and everything" Jenny's mind was clouded by the alcohol she had consumed and the mixture of emotions she was feeling.

"Can I come over to your house later, it's important" she said, eventually.

Nicole was not really sure what to say. She didn't really want to give an answer when it was not clear what the girl actually wanted but the amount of dancing and other things she had done were starting to catch up with her and tiredness was taking over, so she decided just to agree.

"Sure, why not" she tried to sound cheery about it and Jenny certainly sounded pleased to have received this response.

"Thankyou, Nicole, it really means a lot to me, thankyou so much"

"Okay, so I'll see you around two in the afternoon, is that okay?" Nicole suggested.

"That's fine. That's great, brilliant, thankyou" Jenny was thrilled.

"Okay, well I'll see you then" Nicole wanted desperately to get off the phone, "Bye"

"Bye" Jenny answered, giggling as she hung up the phone.

In less than ten hours her plan would be put into action and then maybe Ray would notice her and she would get the guy of her dreams.

A/N ; Please review and if people are interested in reading more I will update soon.


	2. The Plan

A/N : I'm not sure if anyone is reading this, [apart from Kala4nea, thanx for the review] but I thought I'd post the next chapter anyway, just in case. If you are reading this, please review so I know that there is a point in me continuing.

(Disclaimer : see part 1)

The door bell rang and Nicole moved to answer it. The door opened to reveal Chase.

"Chase, you have to leave" she said immediately.

"Well that's a nice welcome" he laughed, "I'm pleased to see you too"

"You know I'm always pleased to see you" she told him.

"Well, I think I'm going to need some proof" he smiled, playfully, knowing he would earn the kiss that he so desperately wanted, "you got any ideas?"

They leaned into each other until their lips met.

"Happy now?" Nicole asked as they broke away after a couple of minutes.

"Of course" Chase smiled, "Now tell me again why I have to leave"

"Y'know Jenny Jacobs?"

"Vaguely"

"Well, she called me up last night, well, this morning actually, after we got back, and asked me if she could come over this afternoon. She said it was urgent and I could say no"

"What time is she coming?" Chase checked his watch.

"2 o'clock" Nicole told him, "Why?"

"Because, that means we have another fifteen minutes to fill" he explained, smiling down on her as he moved into the hallway and closed the front door behind him.

"Well what did you have in mind?" she asked as if she didn't know.

He put his arms around her and moved in to kiss her again just as a knock came on the door.

"I'm guessing Jenny's early" Chase hated the fact that he was probably right in his guess.

"Look, go in there" Nicole said, pointing to the living room, "and I'll try and get rid of her" she concluded. Whatever it was that Jenny wanted, Nicole did not see that it would take long and then at least she should have some time alone with Chase before her mother came home.

Chase did as he was told and went and made himself comfortable on the sofa whilst Nicole went to answer the door.

On the other side of the door, Jenny knocked again. She wore a plain T-shirt and jeans with a pair of trainers, and her brown curly hair flew all over the place on the breeze. She had no make-up on at all and the effects of the party the night before had caused ringing in her ears, bags under her eyes and a severe pain in her head. All in all, Jenny Jacobs looked, and felt, a mess.

As the door opened, she felt nauseous. Had this been a really stupid idea? Nicole greeted her cheerily and Jenny's nerves calmed a little, although her jealousy rose slightly too.

"Hey Jenny, how are you?"

Nicole had perfect blonde hair that did as t was told. She had fashion sense, she had manicured nails, and she had a fresh complexion and a vibrancy about her all the time. It all made Jenny feel worse.

"Hi Nicole" she tried to smile, "I'm fine, well, actually, I'm not and that's kind of why I'm here" she fidgeted. "Look, do you mind if I come in for a minute?"

Nicole was too nice to say no and so moved away from the door and allowed the other girl to come inside, all the time hoping that Chases presence might deter Jenny from staying too long.

"Sure, come in," she smiled, "but I warn you, Chase is here"

"Oh great, because I could use his help too" Jenny grinned and Nicole's own expression grew more and more confused, but there was no time for questions as the brunette burst into the living room to find Chase, sitting on the sofa with a can of soda in his hand.

"Hey Chase" Jenny smiled.

"Hi" he replied, attempting to smile back, then he turned to Nicole, "I found this in the kitchen, hope you don't mind"

"That's fine" Nicole smiled, glad Chase felt at home in her home. Although plans weren't firmly settled between her mother and his father it looked as though they would all be living together soon anyway.

"So, Jenny, what's up?" Chase asked the girl, at an attempt to make conversation, as well as find out what she wanted with his girlfriend.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about a guy I like" she blushed as she spoke, "he's a friend of both of you so I thought you'd be able to help me"

"And who would that be?" Chase asked, unable to think of who she could mean. He sipped at his drink and Nicole moved to sit down on the sofa next to him.

"Ray Neeley" Jenny smiled and it was all Chase could do not to spay the entire room with soda. He swallowed hard and looked utterly shocked.

"You wanna date Ray?"

Jenny only nodded as Chase looked at her strangely. Nicole was intrigued.

"I don't see how we can help you with that"

"Oh come on, Nicole" Jenny sighed, "Everyone knows that Ray likes you, and I like him so I need to be more like you. I'm asking you for a make-over"

"You're kidding, right?" Chase laughed, "You want Nicole to do a make-over on you so that Ray will go out with you?"

"Yes" Jenny was glad to admit.

"Well, I don't know Jenny" Nicole wasn't sure, but Jenny was.

"But you made-over Chase, why not me?"

"But that was different..." 

"Not really. A lot of girls who hadn't even looked twice at Chase before, all started paying attention after you changed him" the dark haired girl explained.

Chase couldn't help but smile at that.

"A lot of girls?" he grinned and Nicole hit him playfully in the arm to silence him.

"Okay, why not? Yes, I'll do it. We'll do it!"

Jenny beamed, glad her proposal had been accepted but Chase wasn't convinced.

"Er, Nicole, could I have a word with you for a second" he said, tugging on his girlfriends sleeve, "We'll just be a minute" he smiled at the grinning girl in the chair and pushed Nicole into the kitchen.

"Are you crazy?" he asked her as soon as they were out of ear-shot.

"What? Ray needs a girlfriend and Jenny's a nice girl who really likes him"

"She's hardly his type, Nicole. You know Ray likes you" Chase reasoned but Nicole was determined.

"Chase, she knows that, that's why she wants our help. Look, here we have two people who both need dates and who are both in need of a little help if that is going to happen. Sound familiar? A few weeks ago that was us and look how happy we are now. We helped each other, now he have to help them. Please Chase" she moved up close to him and kissed his neck.

"I really don't have a choice, do I?" he said.

Nicole smiled and placed a final kiss on his lips.

"No, you don't" she said as she moved away from him. "I'll go and tell Jenny that we're all going shopping!"

A/N : Like I said before, if you read this, please review so I know that there is a point in me continuing with it. If I get a few more reviews then I will write and post more soon.


	3. The Makeover

A/N : Sorry it's taken me so long to update but I have been writing so many stories at once that I have kind of left this one behind. Anyway, thanx to those people who reviewed; Kori Lewis, lil, Julie and the two anonymous reviewers - I do appreciate all your comments. I think should clarify that Jenny is a character that I invented and who was not in the original film of Drive Me Crazy. 

This chapter is quite short but I will try and update again soon.

(Disclaimer : see chapter 1)

Chapter 3 - The Make-Over

"Shopping? Are none of my own clothes any good?" Jenny asked.

"Well..." Nicole hated having to tell her that she looked awful, but it was the truth, "how can I put this tactfully Chase?" she half whispered.

"Tell her what you told me" he whispered back and then spoke more loudly as he mimicked what Nicole had once said to him, "For starters, you can't wear...anything you own, and we have to clean you up"

"Okay, was that aimed at me?" Jenny looked confused, having missed the whispered portion of the conversation.

"Well, it does kind of fit, yeah" Nicole admitted.

Jenny looked so embarrassed that Nicole almost felt guilty and Chase definitely felt uncomfortable.

"Look, I'm sure you have some great clothes, but they're not the kind of clothes that will get a guys attention. If they were then you wouldn't be asking us for help, would you?" the blonde girl rationalised and Jenny had to admit she was right.

"So, let's go shopping!"

Nicole pushed Jenny into a changing booth with a pile of clothes she had picked out for her. The plan was that she would come out in each outfit and both Nicole and Chase would give their opinions in the vain hope that they would be able to settle on a new look for Jenny that would catch Ray's attention.

"So, am I supposed to be honest here, or am I supposed to say she looks good in everything?" Chase whispered to his girlfriend as they waited for Jenny to appear in outfit number one.

"Well, there's no point to this unless you're honest, but don't be too harsh either, okay?" she told him and Chase smiled.

"Oh yeah, that was real clear, Nicole" he said sarcastically as Jenny emerged in a knee length skirt and low cut top.

"Well?" she asked, turning around slowly.

"I like the skirt" Nicole said honestly, "but I'm not sure about the top, it might be a little too much for you. What do you think, Chase?"

"Well, if you want to get a guy's attention..." he smiled and Nicole hit him playfully in the chest.

"She doesn't want to get it like that!" she smiled, turning back to Jenny, "Try the blue one with the short sleeves" she suggested and with a nod, Jenny disappeared back into the stall.

About a dozen shops and countless outfits later, Jenny was the proud owneer of a wardrobe full of 'suitable' clothes, but Nicole wasn't finished yet.

"Can we go home now?" Chase asked for the eighth time that afternoon.

"Not until we're finished Chase, stop complaining" Nicole told him as she dragged him and Jenny into a beauty parlour.

"Do you know how stupid I feel in this place?" Chase looked very uncomfortable and completely out of place now, even more than he had in the fashion stors.

"Well, I guess we can cope without you now, if you're really desperate to go home"

"I am" he admitted.

"Okay, fine, go!" Nicole laughed and waved him away.

"Thanks for your help Chase" Jenny said as he walked away.

"Not a problem. See you later" he called back.

"Why are we in here, anyway?" Jenny asked, trining back to Nicole.

"Clothes aren't enough to transform you. We still have hair, nails and make-up to do" th blonde girl explained.

"So, then Ray will notice me?" the brunette checked.

"Well, let's hope so" 

A/N : Please review and I'll update as soon as I can.


	4. The Reaction

A/N : Here is chapter 4. It is longer than my previous chapters, and I hope you all enjoy it. I hope also, that I'm getting the characters right. I really should watch my video of Drive Me Crazy again soon, because it's been a while. Anyway, thanx to those you read and reviewed; Carly, SBGrl925, amaris, Kori, mandy. Please remember to review this chapter too!

(Disclaimer : see chapter 1)

Chapter 4 - The Reaction

"Hey Ray" Nicole smiled, and although he smiled back, Ray couldn't help but be suspicious. Nicole didn't usually come over to talk specifically to him. Sure, after Friday night when they had gone to the Centennial dance together, Ray had hoped that Nicole considered him as at least her friend, but he had assumed that was wishful thinking. When she suddenly came over to him in the school hall in front of everybody he was starting to think another scam was under way.

"Hey Nicole, what's up?" he greeted her.

"Oh nothing, er, have you seen my friend Jenny, y'know Jenny Jacobs?" she asked, pretending to look around for her 'friend'.

"No, can't say I have" Ray admitted.

"Oh well, never mind," the blonde girl shrugged, "Maybe _you'll_ see her later" she said accidentally on purpose, "I mean, maybe _I'll_ see her later" she corrected herself and Ray looked at her strangely. 

"I have to go now" he told her, making a quick get-away. 'What is up with Nicole?' he thought to himself as he walked away. Suddenly, he saw Chase appear from around the corner.

"Hi Chase" he greeted his friend.

"Hey Ray" Chase grinned, "You haven't seen that girl - Jenny Jacobs - around, have you?" Now Ray really was suspicious.

"Nicole just asked me that" he told his friend, "What's the deal with this girl?"

Chase shrugged.

"I don't know, nothing I guess" It wasn't a particularly clever response, but then Chase was never at his most clever this early on a Monday morning, especially when he had been forced to spend most of his weekend with two girls and amongst a lot of clothes and make-up.

"Okay..." Ray was about to ask Chase for the real truth when the school bell shrilled into life.

"Well, I'll see you at lunch!" Chase called as he disappeared into the crowd of people in the halls.

"Yeah, see you later" Ray said to himself, as he adjusted the bag on his shoulder and moved down the hall to his locker. As usual, Ray's locker door jammed and he spent several minutes just trying to force the door open.

The halls quickly cleared, leaving Ray alone, now half inside his locker, trying to drag out the books he needed. He emerged from his locker, and started to stuff the books into his bag when he heard a loud noise. He turned to see a girl, sprawled on the floor, cursing her new high heeled shoes, with her books spread out in front of her.

"Need a hand?" he asked, and without waiting for an answer, he closed his locker door and started to help the girl pick up her belongings.

"Thanks" the girl said, picking up herself and her books, "It's just I'm not used to these shoes and..." she looked up and suddenly realised who she was talking to, "Hi Ray"

He looked at her again.

"Do I know you?" he asked, unsure as to who she was.

"It's Jenny - Jennifer Jacobs, I sit behind you in English" she explained.

"Wow, you look...different" he gaped, almost unable to believe this was the same girl. She looked taller in the high heels she wore and her short skirt showed off her legs. The entire outfit hugged the curves of her body and her hair had been cut and styled beautifully. Dark curls fell gracefully to just above her shoulders, and there was just something different and beautiful about every part of her.

"Oh yeah, I had my hair done at the weekend" Jenny giggled, trying to seem grateful for the compliment and yet cool about it, like Nicole had taught her. Her appearance made her more confident, even around the object of her affection. "What do you think?" she asked him.

"Well, I don't know, it's nice..." Ray really wasn't sure how to act around this girl. She was not the same Jenny he'd seen around school before, now she was way out of his league, and all he wanted to do was get out of this awkward situation.

"I'm really not the person to ask about style and fashion" he said, quickly, "I have to go" and with that he handed Jenny her last book and disappeared around the corner.

She smiled to herself as she watched his go.

'Well, he definitely noticed me'

It was lunch time and half the population of Time Zone High piled into the cafeteria.

"Hey Ray, Dave" Chase called to his two friends as they entered and gestured for them to come over and sit with him.

"Hey Chase" Dave said as he got to the table, "I guess Nicole's at the student council meeting thing that Dee's gone too"

"Yeah" Chase sighed, "So it looks like it's a 'guys only' lunch"

"Good" Ray said, which got a strange look from both Chase and Dave, "I need to talk to you guys about something" he started to explain. "Y'know that girl you were talking about this morning? Jenny?"

Chase nodded.

"I saw her in the halls earlier, and man, has she changed. Seriously guys, I think I'm in love"

Chase couldn't help but laugh. He thought the changes Nicole had made to Jenny were incredible, but he really hadn't been too confident that they would have the desired effect on Ray. Turned out he was wrong.

"Who's Jenny?" Dave couldn't place the name.

"Jennifer Jacobs" Chase said, still laughing, "She's in our Math class"

"Oh yeah, I know who you mean" Dave said, thinking about it "She can't have changed that much"

"Believe me, she has" Ray told him.

"And this is amusing to you because...?" Dave couldn't understand why Chase was laughing so hard.

"Nothing, no reason" he lied.

"Come on Chase, I've never seen you laugh so much for no reason" his friend was determined to know what was so funny about some girl getting a make-over.

"Okay, but don't tell Nicole I told you this because she would kill me, and Dave, that means you can't tell Dee" Chase said, suddenly serious.

"Deal, now tell us what's going on" Dave said, impatiently.

So Chase explained how Nicole had done a makeover on Jenny because she wanted Ray to notice her.

"She wants to date Ray?" Dave looked shocked, but all Ray could do was smile like an idiot.

"I know, it's crazy" Chase joked. "But seriously, the girl likes you Ray and she thought since Nicole did such a good job making me over, she could do the same for her" Ray didn't know what to say and Chase couldn't help but turn to Dave and ask, "Did you know a lot of girls wanted to go out with me after Nicole cut my hair and took over my wardrobe?"

Dave laughed, "Yeah, I heard"

"So, Ray, you think you're gonna go out with Jenny?" Chase asked, turning to his other friend, who was now staring off into space.

"I don't know, I guess" he said, coming back down to earth and the conversation at the table "but I mean, she is so out of my league now. She could date any guy she wanted"

"Ray, she did it for you! She wants to date you!" Chase persisted.

"God knows why" Dave mocked.

"Yeah, well, we'll see what happens" Ray said, thoughtfully, "We'll see what happens"

A/N : Please remember to review and I'll update again soon.


	5. The Next Step

A/N : I haven't been too good at upating this fic regularly but I am doing my best to write quicker and post more often now. Thanx to rock-goddess27 and Eva for their reviews on chapter 4 - glad you like the story. Here's chapter 5.

(Disclaimer : see chapter 1)

Chapter 5 - The Next Step

"Hey Chase" Nicole called as she spotted her boyfriend in the halls "What's up?"

"I've just been talking to Ray, about Jenny" he told her.

"He saw her?" Nicole asked excitedly. She was really enjoying this.

"Yeah, and I think he likes her but I don't think he's got the guts to do anythig about it. He thinks she's out of his league now" Chase was beginning to think the whole thing was hopeless and pointless, but Nicole was more confident.

"Well, then we'll just have to show him that they're perfect for each other, just like you and me" she grinned, kissing him on the cheek. Chase smiled.

"But how do we get them together?"

Nicole thought for a moment and then smiled widely as she came up with a solution.

"Why don't we have a party?"

"At your house?" Chase wanted to know.

"Yeah" Nicole nodded, "or yours, or both, I mean we could have a huge party at both our houses on Friday night. Our parents our going away together Friday afternoon and they won't get back til late on Sunday so we'd have plenty of time to clean up..." she rambled on with excitement at the prospect of planning the party of the year as well as setting up a romance for two of her friends.

"I think it's going to be easier if I just agree to this isn't it?" Chase really couldn't be bothered to argue about it even though he knew this party was going to take planning and organising, and that he would undoubtedly have to help out with a lot of it. Nicole was going to throw this party with or without his consent so it was easier just to give in.

"Well, yes" Nicole smiled as innocently as she could.

"Okay fine, what do I have to do?" Chase asked the dreaded question but was pleasantly surprised by the answer he got.

"Just make sure Ray is there, I'll do the rest"

"Okay" he said, surprised at his lack of responsibilities but none-the-less pleased about it. 

The bell rang and his next class was about to start

"See you later" he called as he disappeared down the hall. Nicole smiled to herself, now all she had to do was tell the plan to Jenny.

Nicole watched as Jenny literally fell into the girls bathroom. 'Maybe those high heeled shoes were a bad move' she thought, as she followed her new friend.

"Hey Jenny!" she greeted her "So you saw him today, right?"

"Yes" the brunette said, as both girls stood by the mirors and pulled out their make-up bags.

"And?" even though Nicole had heard what had happened from Ray, through Chase, she wanted to hear it the way Jenny told it. 

"I think I got his attention" Jenny smiled weakly.

"That's great" Nicole grinned at her.

"Not really, I tripped on my heels" she blushed and looked down at her new shoes.

"Oh well, you'll get used to them" Nicole told her comfortingly.

"Yeah, but now what?" Jenny loved her new lok, and it was getting all the guys attention, including Ray, but what was she supposed to do for her next move?

"Well, if he noticed you, he might ask you out, but if he's shy..." Nicole acted thinking hard before adding, with a fake gasp, "Oh, I have an idea, we'll have a party"

"A party?" Jenny looked a little surprised and a lot scared at the suggestion.

"Yeah, I'll invite everybody and we can have it at mine and Chase's houses cos my Mom and his Dad are going away together this weekend..." Nicole trailed off. It still felt kind of weird having her Mom and Mr Hammond dating, and she knew all to well what they would be doing on their weekend away together. She really didn't want to think about it.

"If your parents are dating, doesn't that make you and Chase kind if like brother and sister?" Jenny observed.

"Eeeww! No!" Nicole all but yelled, disgusted at the idea.

"Sorry" said quietly, meaning it absolutely.

"Just don't mention it again, plaesae" Nicole shook her head, hoping it would remove the disgusting thoughts and then continued to talk about the party. "Okay, so we'll have a party and you can come, looking stunning, and I'll make sure he is there and it'll be perfect" she smiled, feeling very pleased with herself.

"I hope this works" Jenny sighed, putting the finishing touches to her re-application of make-up.

"Of course it will. By the end of the party you'll have Ray for sure" Nicole assured her as the two girls left the bathroom. 

As soon as they had done, a cubicle door swung open and a pale skinned, dark haired girl emerged.

'She likes Ray?' Alicia thought to herself, 'So that's why the Jacobs girl has gone babe over night. Well, no-one is going to be more popluar than me, plus, I can get one over on Nicole for what she said about me to Brad and at the dance...'

A/N : Please review and I plan to post again quite soon so keep checking for updates!


	6. The Party & The Bitch

A/N : I've been busy with this fic and I've managed to get two chapters done! Thanx to lil and Kala4nea for the latest reviews. Here's chapter 6...

Chapter 6 - The Party and The Bitch

"Well, it took a lot of work but I think we pulled it off" Nicole smiled, looking around at all the people partying in her house. 

"Yeah, well, let's just hope your little plan works" Chase replied.

"Of course it will work" his girlfriend assured him, "My plans always do"

"You sure?" he wasn't as certain as she was, because he understood what his friend was feeling - unworthy of the girl he wanted.

"My last plan worked better than I thought" Nicole told him, wrapping her arms around him, "because I ended up with you" she grinned and kissed him, and they were having quite a good time until they were interrupted by a voice.

"Hey guys"

"Hey Ray" Nicole smiled, disentangling herself from Chase.

"Hey man, glad you came" Chase clapped his friend on the back.

"Yeah, me too" he grinned as Jenny approached the three.

"Jenny!" Nicole greeted her excitedly, as her friends entrance was perfectly timed.

"Hi Nicole, Chase, Ray" Jenny greeted them all

"Hi" Ray answered quietly. 

There was an awkward pause and then Nicole had an idea.

"So, Chase, you wanna dance?" she asked, giving him a look that said 'say yes or else'

"Er, yeah, right" her boyfriend realised what she was doing, "see you guys later" he added as he was led to the dance floor. The other two watched them go and Jenny couldn't bear the silence anymore.

"Don't worry, I wore flats tonight" she joked.

"Oh, yeah" Ray laughed a little and then said "You look...great"

"Thanks, so do you" she blushed, then another awkward pause.

"You, er, wanna dance?" he dared to ask and the girl's face lit up. She was about to answer when Eddie Lampell, star football player and all around jerk, appeared behind them.

"Hey Jenny, you're looking good" he leered, probably already half drunk.

"Thanks, Eddie" she said, uncomfortable.

"So, do you feel like dancing?" he asked.

"Yes" she smiled, and Ray wanted to crawl into a corner and die until she added "but not with you, sorry. Ray already asked me"

With that she took his hand and led him out amongst the rest of the crowd who were already moving to the music. Eddie looked shocked but Ray looked more so.

"Why are you dancing with me when you could be dancing with Eddie?" he said, not complaining but curious.

"Because you asked first" she said simply "and because he's a jerk and because" she paused "well, I like you better" she admitted.

"I can live with that" the young man smiled, putting his arms around her.

Across the room, Chase was dancing with Nicole when he suddenly spotted the other couple.

"I should've known your plan would work..." he sighed.

"What?" Nicole asked, lifting her head from Chase's shoulder. He pointed in the direction of Jenny and Ray and she turned to see them dancing and laughing together.

"Oh look how cute they are together" she grinned.

"Let's just hope it lasts, then maybe you could give me some more attention instead of them" her boyfriend feigned annoyance.

"I'm sorry Chase, you feeling left out?" she asked.

"Maybe, a little" he smirked.

"Come here, let me make it up to you" she said, pulling him into a long kiss.

"You wanna drink?" Ray asked as the song ended.

"Yes, please" Jenny replied, unable to stop herself from grinning like an idiot "While you get that I'm just gonna use the little girls room" she added, excusing herself.

Ray moved toward the kitchen, pushing past dancing couples, kissing couples, and a few single people too. He was trying to hunt down some mineral water for Jenny when a voice caught his attention.

"Good evening Ray"

He turned to see a dark haired girl striking a pose in the doorway.

"What are you doing here Alicia?" he asked her.

"Partying, same as everyone else" she smiled and came closer toward him.

"Did Nicole invite you?" Ray couldn't believe that was possible given that the two ex-best-friends had barely spoken to each other since the night of the last pre-Centennial Party when Alicia had made a move on Chase.

"Not directly" she admitted, "but I wanted to come, so I did" she was standing right next to him now "I always get what I want" she told him, leaning close "How about you Ray?"

"What do you mean?" he said, nervously.

"I mean" she said, barely above a whisper, leaning in even closer "what do you want?"

"Alicia..." was the last word he managed to say before she kissed him. It might not have been so bad if he had pushed her away or tried to move, but he just stood there and let her kiss him. Of course, everything went according to Alicia's plan. She knew no guy could resist her and she knew Jenny would come looking for Ray.

A sound somewhere between a cry and a sob came from the doorway and Alicia pulled away. She turned to see Jenny standing there and Ray saw her too.

"Oops" Alicia said with a grin that said she didn't really care "See you later" she called to Ray as she left the room pushing past Jenny as she went "Loser"

A/N : On to chapter 7...


	7. The Tears

A/N : Here's chapter 7...

Chapter 7 - The Tears and The Final Attempt

"Jenny..." Ray stepped toward her but she couldn't bear to be near him right now. She moved back into the next room where Nicole spotted her.

"Jen?" Nicole tried to speak to her friend, but Jenny didn't stop. She ran straight past her blonde friend, tears streaming down her face. She ran into the bathroom and locked the door.

Nicole put her head around the door to the kitchen.

"Ray, what happened?" she asked but he didn't answer her. He slid his back down the refrigerator and landed on the floor with his head in his hands.

"Nicole, what's going on?" Chase asked as he appeared behind his girlfriend.

"I don't know Chase" she said, a little angry that her friend was upset and that Ray seemed to be the cause "Ask him!" she told Chase as she went to talk to Jenny.

"Ray? What's going on?" Chase asked his friend, walking over to him.

"One word, man - " Ray sighed, "Alicia"

"She didn't? You didn't?" Chase couldn't believe this had happened to his friend.

"She did, and I did" the guy on the floor admitted and Chase moved to sit beside him.

"I would say you were an idiot, but you're not the first"

"I am an idiot" Ray laughed humourlessly.

"Well, yeah" Chase conceded "but so was I once"

"That doesn't help me though. I had a real shot with Jenny and I blew it" his friend groaned.

"Hey, I thought I'd blown it with Nicole, but it all worked out" Chase put a reassuring hand on his friends shoulder.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean it's going to work out for me" Ray said, pessimistically.

"Well, you'll never know unless you try" Chase wasn't really that good at the whole relationship advice thing but he was giving it his best shot.

"You think she'll listen if I go talk to her?" 'Er, no!' Chase thought to himself.

"Not yet, let Nicole talk to her first. When girls start crying and are mad at you, it's best to let another girl deal with it first" he told him, trying to sound like he knew what he was talking about.

"And in the meantime, what do I do?" Ray wanted to know.

"For once in your life Ray, be a man" Chase encouraged his friend, "and get drunk!" he laughed. Ray managed a small smile too picking up the nearest alcoholic drink and swallowing as much as he could at once.

"Jenny?" Nicole called to her friend and tapped on the bathroom door.

"Nicole, go away" came the response.

"Come on, Jen, I just wanna help" Nicole persisted and the door opened to reveal the tear stained face of her friend. 

"What happened?" she asked, genuinely concerned.

"I went to find Ray, he'd gone to get us a drink and when I saw him, he was..." Jenny made a face and looked like she might burst into tears again at any moment.

"He was what?" Nicole didn't understand.

"Him and Alicia..." Jenny spat the girls name.

"Alicia?" 'I should have known' Nicole thought, sitting down on the stairs and sliding over so Jenny could join her "Jenny, I know you're thinking awful things about Ray right now and I know what he did was dumb, but you know what Alicia's like. She broke up Brad and Kathy last month, then she tried to break up me and Chase, it's what she does"

"He didn't have to kiss her" the brunette complained.

"I know, but they're guys" Nicole pointed out "you have to cut them some slack. Alicia, as much as I hate her" and she really did hate her now " she knows what she's doing when it comes to manipulating guys and their hormones"

"He's to blame too" Jenny was adamant about that.

"Yes, he is" the blonde admitted, "he should have more self control, but like I said it happened to me and Chase too, and I'll bet we're not the only ones" 

Jenny didn't answer but looked as if she was considering what her friend was telling her and maybe even starting to believe it.

"So are you gonna talk to him?" Nicole asked eventually.

"I don't know, well, yeah, I guess" Jenny wasn't sure what she wanted to do, she did want to talk to Ray but having to face him now was too hard "not now, not tonight, I can't. Actually, I'm gonna go home Nicole, I'm sorry, I know this party was mostly because of me, but I need to get out of here..." she rambled as she stood up. She looked like she might cry again at any moment so her friend interrupted.

"Hey, it's okay, don't worry" Nicole smiled and Jenny even managed a small smile of her own. 

"We will fix this you know" her friend assured her.

"I hope so" said Jenny as she walked away.

A/N : Please review!!! I think there will be two more chapters and I'm writing as fast as I can cos I really want it finished by Christmas.


	8. The Letters

A/N : I don't know if anyone is still reading this but here are the last two chapters.

(Disclaimer : see chapter 1)

Chapter 8 - The Letters

"Jenny!" her brother called to her. She reluctantly pulled herself out of bed and groaned at the memories of the night before. She had come so close to getting somewhere with Ray but it had all been ruined when he fell for the charms of Alicia de Grecario. What was it with that girl and her effects on any guy with a pulse?

"Jenny!" Tim called again.

"I'm coming!" she yelled back, pulling on her dressing gown and tumbling out of her room. "What's all the yelling for?" she was curious to know. The crying from the night before had made her feel drained the morning after and she attributed her throbbing head to the half bottle of gin that she hoped her parents wouldn't miss from the drinks cabinet - well, she needed to drown her sorrows some how.

"Letter for you" Tim told her, thrusting an envelope in her hand and then disappearing into the kitchen. Jenny took the letter back upstairs and started to wonder why the envelope had only her name on it and not her address. 'No stamp either' she thought as she re-entered her bedroom, 'Weird'.

She flopped down on her bed, face down, and opened the envelope carefully. Inside was a short note in handwriting she didn't recognise.

'Jenny, 

I am very sorry for what happened last night. We were having such a good time and it was spoilt by my dreadful mistake. I want to make a real apology in person so please meet me in Jefferson Park, by the fountain, at three o'clock.

Yours hopefully

Ray'

Jenny's eyes grew wide as she read the words. This note had been, quite clearly, hand delivered to her house. Ray Neeley had been near her house? She was surprised he even knew where she lived. He wanted to meet her? She wasn't sure what to do. Part of her was still mad at him for what had happened with Alicia at the party, but it was a well known fact that Alicia was constantly miserable and because misery loves company she liked to create some for others. Also Miss de Grecario had done the same thing to Chase and Nicole, and their relationship had worked out, "and it's not like me and Ray were actually 'going out' yet" she said aloud. She checked the clock by her bed - almost 10 o'clock - she had just five hours to make her decision.

Ray crawled out of bed with possibly the worst hangover of his life. 'What time is it?' he wondered, 'Actually, scrap that, what day is it?' The calendar and clock on his bedside table helped him out, buy giving both the pieces of information he needed - 10 o'clock on Saturday.

"Coffee" he said quietly to himself, that was definitely what he needed.

He was about to hunt down some clothes when he realised he was still wearing the shirt and trousers he went out in the night before. That was when the events of the previous evening came flooding back, making Ray feel even worse than his over consumption of alcohol had.

"I'm an idiot" he groaned, pulling himself to his feet and making his way out of his bedroom and stumbling down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Morning, sunbeam" his mother smiled, "Ray Neeley, were you drinking last night" she added, her tone changing from 'happy mother' to 'serious rule enforcer'.

"No, Mom" he lied, "I just didn't sleep too well"

She looked at him dubiously, almost certain he was lying, but if his hangover was half as bad as it looked, Mrs Neeley decided that was punishment enough.

"You want some breakfast?" she asked, and he just nodded slowly as she moved to put some more bread in the toaster.

"By the way" she said turning back to face him, "this came for you" she smiled, passing him an envelope, "No address, so it must have come by hand"

Ray tore open the envelope, managing to tear the note in half as he did so.

"Oh, sh..." he started.

"What?!" his mother asked sternly.

"Shh...sugar" Ray finished, "I'll have one sugar in my tea, thanks Mom" he covered, she rolled her eyes and turned away again as he put the two pieces of paper on the table, pushing them back together, and forced himself to focus on the words written there.

'Ray,

Last night didn't go how I'd planned, but I know you are not entirely to blame for what happened. Please meet me later so we can talk. Jefferson Park at three o'clock, I'll be waiting by the fountain,

Yours always

Jenny'

He smiled as he read those words; 'yours always' he liked the sound of that.

"What is it Ray?" his Mom asked, noticing his grin, "Something interesting?"

"No, not really" he lied, stuffing the note in his pocket. Now he had less than five hours to plan what he was going to say to the girl he thought he might just love.

A/N : On to the last chapter...


	9. The Happy Ending

A/N : Final chapter...

(Disclaimer : see chapter 1)

Chapter 9 - The Happy Ending

3:02pm

She was two minutes late. Was she coming? Was this some kind of set-up? No, she would never do that to him? Or would she after last night? He wouldn't blame her.

Ray's mind rambled on as he waited, by the fountain in Jefferson Park, for his possible future girlfriend to arrive. He was excessively relieved when he saw her approaching, just as beautiful as she had looked when they were dancing together at the party, although possibly not as happy.

"Hi" he said as she reached him.

"Hi" she replied, "So..."

"I want to apologise" he interrupted her, "What happened was really stupid and I'm really sorry, but I would like you to know that I didn't plan it and Alicia did have something to do with it too"

"I understand that" Jenny told him, "and thankyou for the apology"

Silence took over for a few moments until curiosity finally got the better of the girl.

"Is that all you wanted to say to me?" she asked him.

"Yeah, pretty much" he admitted "What did you want to say to me?" 

"Nothing really" she shrugged, although there were a hundred things she would've liked to have said, she daren't say any of them.

"But you asked me to come here" Ray looked and sounded confused, "You must have wanted to say something to me"

"Me invite you?" Jenny looked equally baffled, "You invited me" she said, pulling a letter from her pocket and showing him.

He read what was written there and then, shaking his head, he pulled out his own letter and handed it to Jenny. She took the paper that appeared to have been ripped and then taped back together and was even more confused after she'd read it.

"I don't understand" she said, "I didn't write this"

"And I didn't write this" Ray told her holding up the letter Jenny had received, "So who did?"

"Hold on" she said, suddenly smiling, "this is Nicole's handwriting - she set us up!"

"Are you sure?" Ray looked surprised as he took the two notes and compared them. They certainly were written in the same style but was it Nicole who had written them?

"Yes" Jenny was certain, "When she was helping me with my make over and telling me how to impress you she wrote down what I should do and..." Jenny stopped abruptly, realising she had just told Ray everything. She blushed a deep red and looked away.

"I can't believe I just told you that" she said, quietly, but he just smiled.

"Jenny, I already know about it" he said.

She swung around quickly, almost tripping herself up.

"What?!"

"Chase told me" he laughed a little, "a couple of days ago"

"I'll kill them" Jenny said, half way between anger and laughter, "I'll kill both of them for this"

Ray couldn't help but laugh and what his friends had done and Jenny couldn't help but join in.

"They meant well" he said finally.

"Yes, I suppose they did" she sighed.

"So, seeing as we're both here..." Ray started.

"You want to go for a cup of coffee or something?" Jenny suggested.

"Yeah, that'd be nice" he smiled.

They both turned to walk out of the park towards the road but they had barely moved a few steps when Jenny stopped and turned to face him.

"One more thing before we go" she said quickly.

Ray didn't have time to ask what the thing was because Jenny was kissing him, just like she'd wanted to for so long. He certainly didn't mind and it was a much more special moment than what had happened between himself and Alicia the night before.

When they finally broke apart she blushed.

"What was that for" he breathed.

"What would you say if I said I think I love you?" she asked, nervously, without looking at him.

"I'd say" he began, and she finally looked up at him, "that I think love you too" 

As they moved in to kiss again a thought crossed both their minds. On the night of the Centennial Dance, all their friends seemed to have dates - everyone except them was happy, but now everything had turned out right because now everybody had somebody to love.

A/N : The end! Please review if you have read this!


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